Son Of Dead Pilot Calls Him ‘A Wonderful Guy’
PALM SPRINGS – We’re getting our first look at a local man who died earlier this week while flying a helicopter for the Department of Fish and Game.
Palm Springs pilot Dennis Donovan died when the chopper crashed on Tuesday afternoon. Three employees for the California Fish and Game Department also died.
Donovan leaves behind a wife, 2 sons and 5 grandchildren. His helicopter crashed near Fresno carrying three scientists studying wildlife in the Sierra National Forest.
His son Doug says, “My Dad was a wonderful guy. He was a great pilot. He did a lot for the community, helped a lot of people out over the years.”
Dennis Donovan often went by his middle name, Mike, to fellow pilots. He was one of the first local Mercy Air helicopter pilots.
Donovan spent many years volunteering for Palm Springs Search and Rescue, finding many lost hikers.
His flight experience started in Vietnam. Donovan was one of the first search and rescue pilots, saving the lives of injured Marines.
He racked up 16,000 flight hours. For 30 years, Donovan called Landells Aviation near Desert Hot Springs his home base.
Landells’ Aviation tells News Channel 3 they are busy gathering paperwork and fielding calls from NTSB, FAA and insurance investigators.
A spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game announced at the scene of the crash, “It appears that the helicopter might have hit power lines. There is a power line down.”
Power lines in the national forest don’t have clear markings. Despite wire cutters on the front of the Bell helicopter Donovan flew, he could have hit the power lines at an angle making the wire cutters ineffective.
Doug Donovan adds, “He’s going to be truly missed by a lot of people. Just terribly tragic for everybody involved. Three other men lost their lives. They all had families. It’s sad. It’s sad for everyone.”
